The restaurant industry has always relied on razor-thin profit margins to survive. If you are a restaurant owner or manager, you already know the difficulties in bringing in customers in these unprecedented times. If you’ve been able to offer take-out or limited dining services but need to provide a boost for your business, consider adding delivery. Below, we’ve outlined some areas to consider as you determine how to set up delivery services for your restaurant.

Menu

Kitchens can be overwhelmed with the added business that delivery provides. It can be beneficial to pare down your menu to focus on what is quickest and easiest to prepare while still offering quality items when starting. Once your staff feels comfortable with the smaller menu, you can begin to expand to a more extensive menu.

Online Ordering

It is good practice to have a part of your website dedicated to online ordering. It can be challenging to do this on your own, but there are ecommerce sites that can add your menu, create a shopping cart, and process payments while still running deliveries directly through your restaurant. If you can budget it, you can also investigate in creating a dedicated app for your business.

Range

How far out do you want your drivers to minimize travel time on the road while maximizing potential sales? Consider the geography of your neighborhood, such as bridges, train tracks, and other bottlenecks that can eat up time when figuring out where you want to deliver.

Delivery-Specific Supplies

If your restaurant already offers take-out, you should have the basic supplies such as to-go boxes, cutlery, and bags in your inventory. If not, you should contact your restaurant supply store to stock up on the essentials and any packaging specific to your needs, such as pizza boxes. Keep in mind that delivery will add to the time your food is away from your kitchen, so you should choose specific packaging designed to help keep your food at the right temperature.

Third-Party

While some of the above steps still apply, utilizing a third-party service can remove a lot of the time and stress when setting up delivery services for your restaurant. These third-party services will provide you with drivers, make your menu available online, and can help with promoting your restaurant. The downside is that these services take a percentage of each sale. When deciding whether to utilize these services, consider how it can help refine your delivery process. By following these steps, you can give your restaurant the best opportunity to succeed.